February 2005 - 7

Letters to the Editor

In addition, players we would love
to get back into the main stream
may be more willing to return if
they can start at lower levels. I
don't see a down side to this idea.
In tennis, golf and chess - to
name three competitive endeavors
- players are rated mostly on cur‑
rent, not cumulative, accomplish‑
ments. Bridge should adopt this in
spirit. The report on masterpoint
activity that appears on page 25 of
this magazine could be designed to
include masterpoint winnings in the
previous three years so that players
would be aware of their status.
JON SHUSTER
Gainesville FL

What's ahead?

To the Editor:
I was recently ruminating on the
changes that have come about since
I started playing bridge in the Six‑
ties, not just in bidding, play and
laws, but also in how the game is
physically implemented. We now
have the delight of Internet bridge
and the quiet of bid boxes (after
a lot of kicking and screaming) at
clubs and tournaments.
Changes to come will be more
dramatic. I predict that within five
to 10 years, some enterprising
individual will introduce a comput‑
erized "bridge table" and that this
will become standard at clubs and
tournaments by 2025.
The table will feature four key‑
boards and monitors, one for each
player - who may not all be
wetware (by 2025, computer pro‑
grams will be competing against
us on a regular basis). The devices
will be used the same way they are
for Internet games today. The table
itself will be superfluous, as players
will more likely sit around on easy
chairs using hand‑held equipment
and wearing virtual‑reality glasses.
The innovation will combine the
advantages of Internet play - fewer
infractions, self‑Alerting, instant
dealing and scoring, hand records
and more - with the social plea‑
sures and table feel of face‑to‑face
competition. Not only that, the hard‑
ware will become more cost‑effec‑
February 2005

tive than flimsy, often‑replaced cards
and bid boxes.
The final step in this process will
be the re‑emergence of "paper"
clubs, folksy establishments where
nostalgia‑driven oldsters can still
experience the sensual enjoyment of
sorting hands and snapping down a
card to win the trick.
HARRIET S. GELLER
New York NY

Impressed

To the Editor:
Being rushed to the hospital with
a heart attack isn't much fun, but
that is what happened to me at the
Orlando NABC. It did give me a
chance to see how much love there
is in our community. I cannot begin
to express my appreciation for the
outpouring of compassion and con‑
cern directed to me and to Linda,
from all over the world. I will never
forget it.
ROBB GORDON
Sedona AZ

Not too big to care

To the Editor:
Reading the December 2004
letters (page 8) brought to mind
another positive act by a champi‑
onship player to a pair of players
who had left the duplicate scene for
many years because of rudeness and
unpleasant atmospheres.
My sister and I started playing
again at the Schenectady bridge club
and were fortunate to have outstand‑
ing players among the clientele.
Playing against Lynn Deas was
always exciting and not as intimidat‑
ing as one would think.
After a couple of years, we ven‑
tured out to regionals, and at one
held in the Catskills, we got our
first gold. We were celebrating at a
Howard Johnson's with a nice big
sundae when Lynn came rushing
in to congratulate us. She may not
remember that moment, but we'll
never forget it. She is one nice
lady!
DORIS M. VINEBERG
MARILYN FALK
Boynton Beach FL

Eye of the beholder

To the Editor:
When pants suits for women first
came out, I wore one (a brand new,
designer label!) to a restaurant in Or‑
lando FL. I was not admitted. Pants
suits are now worn at all casual
dining places, but I still remember
the shock and humiliation I felt, and
I notice that the writer of the letter
about proper dress (December, page
7) happens to come from Florida.
ACBL does have a behavior
code, but it is for playing bridge.
To include a dress code is difficult
in our democratic society because
we are a very large country with a
great variety of dress codes because
of the differences in experience, in
regions of the country, in education,
income, age, social level, religion,
etc. Happily, we all come together
with our varying dress codes to play
bridge and to encourage others to
join us, especially young people with
their creative dress codes. In my
experience, it is better to bring about
change by personal example. Since
the writer no doubt dresses appropri‑
ately and is a person others like and
respect, perhaps the sartorially chal‑
lenged miscreants will get the hint.
Or perhaps, the writer should try
looking elsewhere and not focus on
clothing that disturbs him. That is
not asking much since the majority
of people are dressed appropriately,
aren't they? That way perhaps we
could avoid the greater offense of
humiliating another person whose
taste in clothing is not "appropriate."
ALICIA HERBELLO‑KOLBO
Seattle WA

Tough job

To the Editor:
Regarding the letter by Brian
Potter in the August issue, there
is one reason that computers may
never excel in bridge the way they
do in chess. Bridge involves decep‑
tion - in the auction, in declarer
play and in defense. It may not be
possible to program a computer to
anticipate deception - or to make
deceptive plays itself.
ALAN BATTERMAN

Monsey NY
7
http://http://
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2005
